Benjamin horn



B`. HORN. v VMILBAGE REGSTER.

Patented May 5, 1868.

@einer t-stes @anni ffice.

BEJMIN HR-N, 0F SERGEANTSVILL'E, NEW JERSEY.

4Laim Patent No, 77,613, dared May 5,1868.

dige ,Stimme :ritmi tu inilgsr lindert @anni l:mi making putt ni 111: time.

T0 ALL WHOM IT MAYv CONCERN:

Beit known that I, BENJAMIN HORN, of Sergcantsville, in the county of Hunterdon, and State of'Ncw Jersey, have inventel'a certain new andjimproved -MilcagRegister for indicating the number ofmiles which a vehicle has travelled, intended more especially for usen carriagesv'kept for hire at livery-stables, and lthelike;

andI do hereby 'deciarcjthat thefolloningpis a full and exact description thereof.

` I will lirst describe what'I consider the best means of carrying ont my inventiomjand will afterwards designnte the pointswhich' I believe to be new.

The accompanyingdrawings-form apart of this specification. Figure 1 is a side elevation', and i i Figure 2 a. plan v ievr of my invention. l In eacliiigure the casing is 4represented as opened to show the interior, 'Similfirletters of-referenoe indicate like parts in all the figures.

Afis the axle, and' is the ef,.the wheel mounted thereon. These parts, as also the springs and other ordinary parts of the carriage, may beof any approved construction. I tnount on the hub ajlorigipiece of tem-v pered steel, Bfwound partially'or'entircly around' the hub, nta littledistance therefrom, and bent Aet iight angles at the end, as indicated byb. l'.lhis bent end forms a crank, whichtouches and operates the register- -inechanisrn at cach revolution of the wheel.- Its tpeculiar construction allo'wsitA to spriug,and -to Athereby prevent allA ls-'Beirins fracturesin case of a derangemenfof any part.

A C 4is a metalliccasqirmly xed on the axleA, and adapted to enciose the mechanism'of my register. C is a sliding eover, provided withnspring-catch, cvwhich-loclrs it.

When it is; desired to open the case, and observe what distance the carriage has travelled, as indicatedby the register, a'knifeblade or other convenient instrument is inserted to touch the spring-catch c. When this spring is`detlected,' the slide()l may be readily withdrawn. I 4 A 'D is a Asmall wheel, with arms, adapted to receive motion from the spring-crank -Bl b. At each revolution of the wheel B, the wheelD is turned one-fifth around. On the shaft of the wheel D' is wound a wire, d, forming u. helix, with the convolutions about asl wide apart as the diameter of the wire d. This wire is wound on with care, by machinery or otherwise, and forms a uniform spiral like tbc threadof a screw. It performs the function of a screw-thread or worlnirin .imparting motion- 'to the worm-wheel E oh a. secondaryshaft'. I -propose to tin the wire d, andv to tin the shaft on whichit is wound, and -to sweat the'two together, so as to insure a ver)L iir'm and. immovable nnionof the parts; but I have never found this necessary in my'experiments.-

0n the shaft ofthe wheel Eis similarly wound'a spiral.wire,,which may be similarly-fastened, and'which siniilurlyperntcs in the worm-wheel F.- Thisftrain of gearing, or mechanical connections through worms, or

screws and worm-wheels, tney be increased or diniinishe'd` asrequired. The last shaft vof the series is squared at the end, as indicated by G. On this is tted a wheel, Mfcarrying paper 'on its periphery, as indicated by m. The paper may be secured by wedging it in o. recess, m, s`represented. This wheel H, lwith its recess m, is indicated in iig. 1 in dotted lines. v i

On the shaft of the wheellV is a broad win-gl. At'eachrevolution of this wing.F,vt acts on the springhammer P, .drawing it graduallyback until the'wing F* passes, and libera-tes the hamnier. When this occurs, it

strikes with its 'heavy' head against the -finely-tempered spiral wire Q. lThis latter is constructed in a manner similar to the ringing-portion of clocks` and mayJ with sonne propriety,lbecalled a bell. It is secured 'to the casing Cdiy the screw-bolt g.

The worms und wheels are so: proportioned to each other, and to the main wheel of the carriage, that the wheel F makes one complete revolution for each mile travelled bythe carriage.' It follows that the hellQ. will be struck, and willgiv'c one clear ring for-each mile traveiled. v

Another wing, F, is mounted on thc same shaft as thawing F1, and gives a corresponding motion to a. pointed striker, R. This may be formed of tempered steel wire, fixed in the framing C, as represented, and its point stands near without touching the periphery o the wheel M, before described. At or'about the period 'when the bell gives out its n'ote,.and informs persons in the carriage that anotherile has been travelled, the sharp point R comes forward by its elastic force, on being liberated from"tlie"=wirig F2, and produces' a sharp and clear indentation in the paper which is wound on the periphery of the wheel M.

't follows from-'this arrangement thatthe carriage travels in all respects like other vehicles, and that the registering-machinery, without r'eqfrig any attention, performs the two functions of striking a bell and of priclring a marlein the paper-at the end of every mile travelled. When the carriage has reached the endof its journey, or has returned to the livery-stable or other place whereit belongs, the owner or other attendant, by inspection of the paper wound on the wheel M, can determine at once the number of miles travelled. By touch ing with a lead-pencil', or better, perhaps, a pen.- with ink, on the last indentation in the series, c convenient starting-placeis established from which to reckon the next journey performed by the carriage.'

The wheel M may he made of such size, and the worms and wheels may'be so proportioned, that a great number of miles travelled may beregistered in onercvolution of the wheel M. Ihp'posehfor bxample, to malte the circumference of the wheel M liveinches, and to make the-indentations a thirty-second of an inch apart. The mechanism will thus register one hundred and sixty miles of travel before'a complete revolution of the wheel M. The same piece of pape-r may .then afterwards be made to serve again, and register another circle, by simply moving the wheel M outward or inward on the square end of the' shaft.` vWhen the paper has become too much marked to, enable its indications tobe observed uith certainty, the paper must beremoved and a new piece' supplied.

' I can, if preferred, make the wh'eel M of slate br analogous material, and provide a slate-pencil or the like in lieu of the sharp pointon'the end ofthe striker R. This modification may bc made to produce convenientlyrecognized pencil-markings on the wheel, M, which may be readily washed off with the {ingerto` save the trouble of changing the* paper. A Y

A' padlock or other lock may be provided in lieu of orlin addition to the springcatc'n c to secure the slide Cl'; or, instead of a slide, a door`or other convenient opening of any approved `construction may be made. believeit practicable to conceal theentire vgorks' within hermetieally-sealed glass, so that not even the owner of the carriage can tamper with the indications. Y

My mechanism allows the wheel to'beturned backward to .as great an extent vas is ever required in-auy Ordinary practice; but in case, through fraudulent intent, the wheel shall be held suspended and whirled back wardfor a long period, with a view to induce false ndicationsof the distance, the hammer l? andthe markingdevice R are so proportioned and arranged, relatively to theirrespective operating-wings F F2; that the backward strain will permanently bend them,- and derangethe action so much as to mako the fact distinctly recognizable when tho-apparatus is opened and inspected. An examination of the drawing n'ill indicate how this lwill occur. The Wings Fl F act, each', en4 the respective points orangles in the wiresP and. R to lift or draw b a'ck these elastieportions without encountering any obstruction other than the elastic force of the wire itself; but when the mechanism is turned in the wrong direction, the wings F1 and lf"2 act on the angles in the respective wires in such a direction asto' force the hammer l and marking-point R forward-withA great violence. The' hammer P presses against the bell Q', and the marking-point Il. presses against the wheel M wi'thsuch force, and its motion in that direction is so resisted by these obstacles, that the wires are certain to be broken, or to be permanently bent. The fractureer bending of these parts involves'but little expense in the relitting of the apparatus, but it is sulicient to indicate the fact unmistakably that the machine has been improperly used. I have determined by trial that acarriage may at anytime be backed two or three hundred yards without inducing any such frac* ture. This allowance is more than sullicient for any ordinary oxigency which occurs in travelling.

Having now fully -described my invention, what I claim asnew, and desire to Secure byLetters Patent,'is as follows:

1. I claim the spring-crank or pin B, carried on the hub B, and adapted to act' on t'he wheel '1), so.a's to yield when necessary, and avoid fracture, substantially as and for the pdrposel herein speciterh 2. IA claim. the ringing-mechanism P Q, arranged to operate in/combinationwith mechanism for receiving motion from .the wheel of a carriage, and thus indicating to the ear each mile orother unit of distance travelled, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified. l

3. I claim, in combination with mechanism, substantially as herein described, for receiving motion rom the rotation of the wheel of a carriage, the striker R, operated by such mechanism at uniform distances tralei", and arranged to mark on a surface uniformly traversed across its path, snbstan'tially as and for the purpose .herein specified. l

4. 'I claim, in a mileage-register, hav-ing provision-fol' striking a bell, or marking on a. moving surface, by :L blow, as described, so'forming and arranging the elastic lparts P R, or either of them, that, while allowing fo a reasonable amount'ofbacking without derangement, fraudulent turning of the l'carriage-wheel backwardwill break or permanently set one or bothlof thestriking-purts, substantially as and/for the purpose herein specified.

' BENJAMIN HORN.

Witnesses:

.Tous Booms, DAVID Bosma. 

